You’ve undoubtedly heard of the first two names, but probably not the third. And yet Ethel Mae Brown was a legend in her own right - a woman who decided she wanted to do something about the unfair treatment of her children, who were still attending segregated schools.

How do I know about her? She was the mother of one of my recent clients, Ethel Hill. Ethel was one of only eight blacks in her Freshman class at Penn State. Growing up, her church's minister mentored a young Martin Luther King, Jr. while he studied at a nearby seminary. Ethel not only heard some of King's early speeches, but was no doubt inspired by the strong women around her.

This story of Ethel's mother’s crusade is the perfect example of how so many people have stories that were never documented in our history books but were incredibly important to changing society.

While I will never know what it’s like to walk in the shoes of an African-American woman growing up during segregation, listening to Ethel’s story painted a vivid picture for me of what life was like for her and the strength she’s had throughout her life. I feel privileged to have had the chance to hear her stories.

Think about your own extended family and the little-known heroes who did courageous things for their family, their town, or their country. Recognize that their stories have meaning and value beyond your immediate relatives and find a way to preserve them.

]]>It’s All About the Customerhttp://www.dmbpictures.com/blog/2018/01/its-all-about-the-customer/
Thu, 25 Jan 2018 21:27:02 +0000http://www.dmbpictures.com/?p=3763It's the start of 2018, and if you're like most organizations, you're planning out your marketing for the year.

One of the wisest marketing coaches I've had the privilege of working with is Hillary Berman of Popcorn & Ice Cream. Hillary has a theory that the most successful marketing efforts are from those companies whose marketing is built on a strong foundation of being customer-centric.

Being customer-centric is all about making it easy for the customer, being responsive to their needs and even anticipating those needs and meeting them.

She had so many great ideas around this concept that she decided to write a book, Customer LLC. And like any great marketer, she realized that video would be an ideal way to promote her book.

Though the primary audience for this book is small business, I think any organization that services "customers" - whether they are actual paying customers, nonprofit supporters, or members of an association - could benefit from the wisdom in this book.

I loved this book and hope it will help you plan for an excellent year ahead!

]]>The One Question You Should Ask Yourselfhttp://www.dmbpictures.com/blog/2017/12/the-one-question-you-should-ask-yourself/
Thu, 21 Dec 2017 15:50:41 +0000http://www.dmbpictures.com/?p=3752As you get ready to close out your year, sometimes it's good to take a few minutes, take stock of what went well and see if you're still headed in the right direction. It's even better if you can answer this one question:

When I'm at my best, what am I best at being, doing or becoming?

This is the question that business coach Carl Hicks likes to ask his clients to get to the root of how he can help them grow and thrive in their organizations.

Wherever you are in your journey, I hope this video inspires you to start thinking about some of these bigger questions, and maybe even consider working with a coach to help you think through them. It could be one of the best investments you make.

While we have not launched our campaign, we believe the videos you made will have a significant and positive impact for us. Feedback to date has been very favorable and all six videos are featured on our recently updated web site. Thanks again for a great result.

Carl Hicks, President & CEO, The Growth Group

]]>Ensuring the Story Never Endshttp://www.dmbpictures.com/blog/2017/12/ensuring-the-story-never-ends/
http://www.dmbpictures.com/blog/2017/12/ensuring-the-story-never-ends/#commentsThu, 21 Dec 2017 15:09:01 +0000http://www.dmbpictures.com/?p=3747I’ve been reading “Option B,” the book Sheryl Sandberg wrote on how to build resilience and find joy. After her husband passed away suddenly, she had his close friends and family members share stories about him on video for her kids to watch as they got older.

She writes, “Losing Dave taught me how precious video is: when I see photos of him, I long to see him move and hear him speak. Now I take videos as much as possible. My kids used to duck whenever I began recording them, but since they started watching these clips to remember their father, they smile and talk to the camera."

Reading her book resonated with me, especially when I start to think of the families I get to help in this way. I often ask my clients - typically the children of an honoree - to share what a video project has meant to them, but I don't usually ask the honorees. Recently, I had the chance to get this other perspective from Jerry Friedlander.

Every time you jot down a personal story, label photos from the past, or share stories with your grandchildren, you are doing important work.

As Sandberg writes, "When children grow up with a strong understanding of their family’s history - where their grandparents grew up, what their parents’ childhoods were like - they have better coping skills and a stronger sense of belonging. Narratives might sound 'light' - how important can a story be? - but they are how we explain our past and set expectations for our future.”

Whether you hire a professional, have a relative with a nice camera or use your own iPhone, make sure you continue to record these stories of your family members. As Jerry says, doing so ensures that the story will never end.

]]>http://www.dmbpictures.com/blog/2017/12/ensuring-the-story-never-ends/feed/1Combating the Issue of Food Insecurityhttp://www.dmbpictures.com/blog/2017/11/combating-the-issue-of-food-insecurity/
Tue, 21 Nov 2017 15:00:43 +0000http://www.dmbpictures.com/?p=3729We recently finished a project with the National Association of Community Health Centers, where many of the patients who use CHCs live in areas classified as food deserts. We created a video that showcased how some of these health centers were finding new and creative ways to help their patients gain access to fresh fruits and vegetables and take charge of their health. The goal was that by sharing best practices, other community health centers could find ways to replicate these programs or create similar initiatives in their centers.

As I sit down to our Thanksgiving table this Thursday, I know I will be thinking of this project and feeling extra thankful for the food we have at our table. I hope watching this video will inspire you to feel the same way.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In this case, it was the 9-minute video DMB Pictures created. DMB Pictures made our story come to life and gave our health topic the human element that paper products just can’t do.

Ellen Robinson, Director, Information Resources and Outreach, National Association of Community Health Centers

]]>Real Life Heroeshttp://www.dmbpictures.com/blog/2017/10/real-life-heroes/
http://www.dmbpictures.com/blog/2017/10/real-life-heroes/#commentsWed, 25 Oct 2017 12:14:40 +0000http://www.dmbpictures.com/?p=3708I love when my family life and work life sometimes collide. Around this time last year, my son Adam was searching for a service project in honor of his upcoming Bar Mitzvah. He wanted to work directly with children, but at age 12, the options were limited. Which is how we happened upon The Friendship Circle, a nonprofit offering social interaction for special needs Jewish youth with their typically developing peers.

Adam began by volunteering with the Birthday Program. With no prior training, he was paired up with another boy who had autism at a local gymnastics facility. (Their philosophy - “I don’t need to train you how to be a friend.”) Walking to the car after that first experience, Adam shared, "It was really hard, but I want to do it again.”

I started emailing with the director, Chana Kaplan, and after her noticing my company's name in my email signature, said, “We need to talk.” The 10th anniversary of their organization was coming up and they wanted to celebrate in a big way.

When I say that I love what I do, part of the reason is getting to know real life heroes who do great things in the world.

Chana & Mendel Kaplan have created a program that is truly life-changing for everyone involved – from the children with special needs who would not have many friends if it weren’t for this program, to their more typical peers, who often choose related careers after this experience.

As part of their anniversary video, we featured a family with a teenage daughter who not only has autism, but also has severe Crohn’s disease. Hearing her parents talk about how this organization has changed their lives was truly inspiring.

The real heroes of this story aren’t just the families and volunteers, but Chana and Mendel, who saw a need in the community and decided to do something about it.

Debbie was an absolute pleasure to work with. She was easy going, professional and understood our vision. Most importantly, DMB Pictures produced a masterpiece which wowed the 400 people who attended our event and helped us raise critical funds for the Friendship Circle. All in all we could not have chosen a better partner for this project and would highly recommend DMB Pictures for any personal or organizational video production.

Rabbi Mendel Kaplan, Director, Friendship Circle

]]>http://www.dmbpictures.com/blog/2017/10/real-life-heroes/feed/3Get An Edge Over the Competitionhttp://www.dmbpictures.com/blog/2017/08/get-an-edge-over-the-competition/
Thu, 10 Aug 2017 14:41:16 +0000http://www.dmbpictures.com/?p=3703If you’re a small business owner, or much of the work with your organization revolves around you, one of the best things you can do is create a video starring you. Why? Because sharing your knowledge or your story on camera creates a certain level of trust and likability that a written article or a photo just can’t do. And by now, everyone knows the adage that people buy from those they know, like and trust.

The ability for someone to feel they know you before meeting you gives you a huge advantage.

Take therapists, for instance. It’s one thing to ask your friends where they go for a teeth cleaning. It’s another to divulge that you’re having personal issues and need help. So how do people find a therapist? Often it’s through an online search, where only a name, bio and photo are provided. A video can truly make the difference between someone making that call or not.

I recently had the pleasure of working with Liz Lerner, a therapist and coach. We brainstormed and together came up with several different topics that we created into five different videos that have served her well over the past several months.

Are you in need of sharing who you are with others but don’t have time to go to every networking event in town or constantly post on social media? A multiple part business video might be the way to go. Give me a call – I love to brainstorm.

I really enjoyed working with DMB Pictures. I felt well taken care of, guided in the process and confident in their recommendations, including sources for music for my guided meditation and even a professional to do my make-up. I am extremely pleased with the result. Debbie was easy to work with throughout the process, and her team is professional and capable, from filming to editing. I felt she always had the best interest of my business at heart. I love having videos on my website. Visitors have a visit with me and gain information that reading just doesn’t convey. I look forward to working with DMB Pictures on my next project.

]]>There’s Something About Video…http://www.dmbpictures.com/blog/2017/07/theres-something-about-video/
Fri, 14 Jul 2017 20:33:06 +0000http://www.dmbpictures.com/?p=3690This past spring, our oldest son became a bar mitzvah. One of the many decisions we had to make for this major milestone event was whether or not to hire a videographer to film the party. (Though the service is the most important part, the rules of our conservative synagogue forbid any photography during Shabbat.)

Video is of course my business, but I remember clearly thinking, “We're not going to have video.” Besides the expense - and the irritation I have with bright lights in my face on a dark dance floor - I'm so used to associating video with great interviews and emotional stories, that I couldn't imagine what I would want a videographer to capture at a dinner/dance party. People acting silly on the dance floor? Guests eating food? I remember thinking I would write a blog post about why I chose not to have video at my own son’s bar mitzvah.

And then came the day after the event. I wanted to remember everything that had happened, but I couldn’t. I wished I could have listened again to the speeches and toasts, watched the kids playing games, and seen ourselves lifted up on chairs. I wanted to re-live the celebration over again. And though we have some nice photos, there’s something very different about seeing people in action – dancing, laughing, and celebrating.

I think sometimes we become so focused on posing people together for that perfect picture to go in a frame that we forget the power of video.

It brings those still pictures to life and memorializes events in a way that we can remember vividly for years to come.

Which is why I’m so happy when I have projects that allow me to do more than film interviews. They allow me to capture a family’s way of life - action footage that I know they'll want to remember. Last July, I was fortunate to travel to Michigan to capture the Mittler family at the lake they all grew up on. We not only interviewed several family members and friends, but also captured the grandkids playing in the lake and interviewed them as they searched for frogs and minnows. We filmed the family hanging out on the dock and touring the lake on their boat. It became more than just a family history. It became a true time capsule.

So whether you’re at a barbecue, family reunion or on vacation this summer, when you take out your iPhone to snap a picture, make sure to take not just photos, but video. You’ll want to remember those moments as they're actually happening - trust me.

Debbie Brodsky of DMB Pictures walked me through the entire process of documenting my family history. She was always professional beginning with the questionnaire, followed by interview preparation, gathering photos, documents and family mementoes, filming and editing.

Debbie orchestrated this emotional journey for me and my family by asking the right questions while capturing the highlights. She treated the interviewees, the local sound and video crew with respect and professionalism.

Family and friends were astounded when viewing the finished video. Debbie was able to edit the video, audio recordings, photos and documents to tell the story beautifully. The video was presented in various forms - YouTube, DVD, USB for the convenience of every level of technology user and for archiving.

I would highly recommend DMB Pictures for anyone wanting to document their life experiences.

Our corporate partners felt more connected to their investment in RESOLVE after hearing what their partnership means to our community. We showed this video of them at our gala last week and exceeded our fundraising goal that night. We also used the video to kick off our text to pledge drive and many people referenced the video in their text pledges.

]]>A Candid Conversation About Cancerhttp://www.dmbpictures.com/blog/2016/10/a-candid-conversation-about-cancer/
Fri, 28 Oct 2016 12:30:01 +0000http://www.dmbpictures.com/?p=2952I recently had the privilege of creating an oncology education series, "Candid Conversations About Cancer," with the team at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, DC. Of the many valuable videos we created, one of the most important was this open and honest conversation we had with a patient living with Stage 4 cancer. This is Niani's story.

Working on this video series with DMB Pictures was an exceptional experience for our staff, patients, and families. Debbie's expert guidance and hands-on approach from concept development through post-production ensured outstanding results.